Teresa Rider Bult

Teresa is both a mediator, a relationship partner for her corporate clients in the employment defense space, and for either role, a very practical "problem solver."​ She is constantly trying to figure out how to connect her clients to resources that can make their job easier, help them navigate through tricky employment litigation and HR issues, as well as connecting them to the excellent attorneys at Constangy throughout the U.S.  In her 25+ years of practice as a defense-side employment litigation attorney (all years at Constangy), she has litigated cases and counseled clients on almost every conceivable employment-related issue. She’s learned employment law creates a strange world, and partly because of that, she can't imagine doing anything else.

Because every good attorney’s bio has to list their experience, for the record, Teresa has handled a zillion employment litigation cases, including class/ collective actions, has taken a gazillion depositions, has taken multiple cases to trial, and has argued in front of the appellate courts, too. Oh, and she loves mediating, public speaking, mentoring, and making employment law training fun.

Teresa also serves as Administrative Partner and General Counsel at Constangy, was the founding chair of Constangy’s Women's Network, and has received numerous awards and nominations such as Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, Martindale Hubbell, Chambers USA, and the Nashville Business Journal (Women of Influence). Teresa is also former co-chair of the ABA Litigation Section's Employment and Labor Relations Law Committee.

No matter the trials won or the accolades on paper, the thing Teresa loves most about her work is working closely with and learning about her clients. She feels honored to call so many clients friends.

• Fellow, College of Labor and Employment Lawyers
• Harvard Business School Online, Leading with Finance certificate (2020)
• Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America^® for Employment Law – Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment (2013-2024)
• BTI Consulting Group Client Service All-Star (2023)
• Chambers USA Guide^® (2010-2023)
• Fellow, American Bar Foundation 
• Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent® Peer Rated for Highest Level of Professional Excellence
• Mid-South Super Lawyers^® (2008-2010, 2012-2022)
• Top 50: Nashville Super Lawyers^® (2013, 2017)
• Top 50: Women Mid-South Super Lawyers^® (2013, 2015, 2017-2018)
• Top 100: 2017 Tennessee Super Lawyers^® (2017)
• Top Labor & Employment Law Attorney, HR Professionals Magazine (2015)
• Women of Influence Finalist, Nashville Business Journal (2013)

• Former Co-chair, Employment and Labor Relations Law Committee, ABA Litigation Section
• 4Word Nashville Leadership Team
• Nashville CEO Roundtable Member
• Former Editorial Board member, ABA Litigation News Magazine
• Nashville Bar Association
• Harry B. Phillips American Inns of Court, alumni
• Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
• Board of Trusts, St. Paul Christian Academy
• West Nashville Inner City Dream Center volunteer
• Cross Point Community Church volunteer
• Former General Counsel, Outlook Nashville

Teresa enjoys spending time with her husband and their two boys, as well their little girl, whom they adopted from Ethiopia. When Teresa is not chasing after her kids, she enjoys hanging out at the lake (or any body of water), writing legal and leadership articles, travel, home projects, promoting adoption, and volunteering with kids and single moms at the West Nashville Dream Center, where her husband is the Director/Pastor. She loves the outdoors, and wishes she had more time to fit in water skiing and hiking!

More about Teresa

My first job

My first job was at age 16 as a waitress at a local Pancake House in Harrison, Arkansas. I went in for the interview and was so excited I got the job that I forgot to ask how much I was going to make!  I found out on my first day of work that I earned the awesome rate of $1.65 plus tips. I worked there until I found a mouse stuck in syrup, and quickly upgraded to waitressing at Pizza Hut!

Best advice a family member or mentor gave me

You will be happier and more successful in life and your career if you focus on others instead of yourself.

What I would be if I wasn't a lawyer

If I wasn’t a lawyer, I would be an author  – I have always wanted to write a historical novel, but I never have time!   If there were no other life concerns, I might just pick up and move to Ethiopia or somewhere in Africa to help promote the legal system there (but I guess that entails me still being a lawyer).

Something you might be surprised to learn about me

In 2012, my husband and I made two back-to-back trips to Ethiopia and adopted a little 2-year-old girl from there (we already had two biological boys). Her name is Dibora and she has fit into our family like a glove. I am now passionate about adoption and about helping women (and men) figure out a way to balance an engaging career with their family/personal life and needs.

• “Empowering Women in Law Firm Leadership,” Managing Partner Forum, Virtual Conference, June 2021
• "Keynote Panel: Pioneering Women Influencers - Lessons in Leadership" (Moderator), presented at the  Women, Influence & Power in Law Conference (WIPL), Washington, DC, October 30, 2015
• "Diversity in the Legal Community – Tennessee Bar Association," TBALL program, May 2015
• "ADR Internal Strategies – What Works?," NRF Committee on Employment Law Conf, April 2015
• Female Attys Give Employment Boutiques A Boost In Biz," (quoted) Law 360, April 2015
• "Who's LOL now?  The latest 411 on BYOD, texting, and #socialmedia," National Retail Federation, Committee on Employment Law, Spring 2014
• "BYOD: Bring Your Own Device or Bring Your Own Disaster," Women, Influence & Power in Law Conference, Washington, DC, October 4, 2013
• "Navigating U.S. and U.K Employment Law," Global Outsourcing Association of Lawyers, International Webinar, December 6, 2012
• "No Comment:  PR Guide to Crisis Management for the HR Executive & In-House Counsel" presentation, National Retail Federation (NRF) HR Executive Summit, October 2012
• "Fact or Fiction: Balancing Your Work & Personal Life," Global Outsourcing Association of Lawyers, October 8, 2012
• Sterling Education Services Presenter, "Employment Law Update Seminar," July 13, 2011
• "Creating Savvy Managers: Training Management to Avoid Needless Litigation" presentation, NRF Executive Summit, October 2010
• Strafford National Webinar, "Witness Preparation Strategies," October 2010
• "What GINA Means for Employers & Employees,"  ABA Litigation News Cover Story (Print Edition), Spring 2010
• ABA Litigation Section Teleconference Moderator:  "Woodshedding Witnesses:  Limits to What Could be one of the Law's Dirty Little Secrets," February 9, 2010
• "Is Summary Judgment In Employment Cases A Myth?," Employment Law360, November 2009
• "Arbitration Agreements:  Are They Worth the Cost?" presentation, NRF HR Executive Summit, 2009
• "Off the Wall Questions with not so Off the Wall Answers" presentation, NRF HR Executive Summit, 2008
• "Sex, Race and Other Harassment in the Workplace" presentation, Sterling Education Services, 2008
• "Debunking The Work-Life Balance Myth: Is It Fact or Fiction," ACC Docket, July/August 2007
• "Practical Use and Risky Consequences of Rule 68 Offers of Judgment."  Litigation Magazine, Volume 33, Number 3, Spring 2007.  American Bar Association